At DS Smith, Wouter van Tol will be responsible for leading the sustainability and public affairs

WvT photo

Wouter van Tol appointed as DS Smith sustainability and government affairs head. (Credit: DS Smith)

UK-based sustainable packaging provider DS Smith has appointed Wouter van Tol as sustainability and government affairs head.

Wouter van Tol, who will report to DS Smith corporate affairs director Greg Dawson, will be responsible for spearheading sustainability and public affairs across the company’s packaging, paper and recycling divisions.

van Tol served Huhtamaki prior to joining DS Smith

Prior to joining DS Smith, van Tol served food packaging company Huhtamaki as corporate responsibility global head with. He was responsible for developing and delivering the Packaging for Good sustainability strategy.

Wouter van Tol said: “I was attracted to DS Smith because it has a clear strategy for sustainability, great people, and a circular product that is recyclable in both theory and practice.

“All of these are important success factors in today’s changing world and I’m excited to build on these strong foundations and contribute to DS Smith’s role as the leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions.”

Earlier, Wouter van Tol served Procter & Gamble, Nestlé and Samsung companies in senior positions.

Dawson said: “Sustainability is core to our business and the driving force of our company purpose, ‘Redefining packaging for a changing world’.

“Wouter will help us reach new levels in sustainability so that we can support our customers and all stakeholders even further, in what is a rapidly changing world.”

In April 2020, DS Smith announced the launch of Circular Design Principles to advance sustainability in packaging.

The five Circular Design Principles include protecting brands and products with sustainable packaging; optimised use of packaging materials to save resources and reduce waste; and designing for supply cycle efficiency and keeping materials in use.

The principles also include empowering designers to challenge the status quo and support customers in the drive for a circular economy.